Metal storm door and stop therefor



Sept 27, 1966 D. N. .BAlLEY METAL STORM DOOR AND STD? THEREFOR 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 19, 1964 Sept. 27, 1966 D. N. BAILEY METALSTORM DOOR AND STOP THEREFOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 19, 1964 Sept.27, 1966 D. N. BAILEY 3,274,733

METAL STORM DOOR AND STOP THEREFOR Filed Feb. 19, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 54 i 55 lzwenfoa IWJ wlvflaiiegg,

United States Patent 3,274,733 METAL STORM DOOR AND STOP THEREFOR DavidN. Bailey, 95 Grove St., South Braintree, Mass. Filed Feb. 19, 1964,Ser. No. 345,981 3 Claims. (Cl. 49-387) The present invention relates tometal storm doors and to stop means to prevent their being damaged ifblown open.

Metal storm doors are widely used and are well adapted to give long andsatisfactory service except for one undesirable feature. It frequentlyhappens that such doors are blown open or caught by the wind when partlyopened. When this happens, metal storm doors often become dam aged asthe stops with which they are provided are incapable of opposing theconsiderable force exerted thereon due to the fact that such stops arelocated on the hinge sides of the doors.

The principal objective of the present invention is to provideprotection against damage from that cause without limiting their utilityand appearance. In accordance with the invention, this objective isattained by utilizing the hollow construction of the top and sides ofmetal storm doors with one of the sides housing a vertically slidableweight and with the upper corner of the latch side having an openingthrough which a flexible member extends with one end secured to theweight and the other end anchored to the top of the frame from the door.A resilient bumper is interposed between the weight and the opening forengagement by the weight thus resiliently to limit movement of the dooras it approaches its wide open position as determined by the length ofthe flexible member within the door when in its closed position.

The weight may be slidably housed in either side of the door and theopening may be in the top or in the inner face of the upper corner ofthe latch side and it is preferred that such a door be used with a metalframe which is employed to overlie and securely hold the anchor. In theaccompanying drawings, there are shown illustrative embodiments of theinvention from which these.

and other of its objectives, novel features, and advantages will bereadily apparent.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a door and door fram in. accordancewith the invention, the door being shown in its wide-open position,

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section, on a substantially increased scale,throughthe door frame with the door in its open position and with theinner face of the door partly broken away on its latch side,

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section through the door and door frame, the doorbeing shown in itsclosed position.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 illustrating another embodimentof the invention,

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section through the door and door frame shown inFIGURE 4, the door being in its closed position,

FIGURE 6 is a cross section of a door frame showing the top of a door inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention, the top of the doorbeing broken away at the hinge side thereof,

FIGURE 7 is a view of that door and its frame, the view being similar toFIGURES 2 and 4,

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary vertical section of the door and frame ofFIGURES 6 and 7, the door being in its closed position and the sectionbeing taken adjacent the hinge side, and

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary section, on an increased scale takenapproximately along the indicated lines 9-9 of FIGURE 6.

The doorway 10, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated byFIGURES 1-3, is shown as having a gen- "ice erally indicated metal frame11 extending along its sides and top. The metal frame 11 is of Z-shapedsection, see FIGURES 2 and 3, thus presenting an external trim flange12, a parallel, oppositely disposed inner flange 13, and an intermediateportion 1 4 anchored to the jamb 15 at a substantial number of places asby screws, not shown.

A metal storm door is generally indicated at 16 and is connected to thejamb 15 by means of hinges 17 on its side member 18. The other sidemember 19 is provided with a latch 20. The side members 18 and 19, thetop member 21 and also the bottom member 22 are hollow, commonly hollowextrusions, and are joined to provide corners by welding or, as shown,by corner gussets 23 to which the ends of appropriate members areconnected by screws or rivets.

At the upper corner of the door 16 on its latch side, the top member 21has a grommet 24 located in a depression 25 extending centrally of itsupper face and opening inwardly of the door, see FIGURE 2. The depth ofthe depression 25 is such as to accommodate the cable 26 as the door 16swings into and out of its closed position. One end of the cable 26extends through the intermediate portion 14 of the top of the frame '11where its flanged anchor 27 is entered in a pocket 28 in the jamb 15,with its flanges held against dislodgment by the top of the frame 11.The pocket 28 overlies the grommet 24 when the door is closed.

The gusset 23, at the corner of the door 16, is provided with verticallyalined passages enabling the other end of the cable 26 to be introducedtherethrough into the latch side member 19 and attached to a weight 29which is vertically slidable in the side member 19, and operative topull the cable 26 downwardly into the side member 19 as the door 16closes. The cables 26 also passes axially through a coiled compressionspring 30 attached to and backed by the gusset 23 through which thecable passes thereby to provide a resilient stop when the door swingsinto its wide open position as determined by the length of the cable 26within the latch side member 19 when the door 16 is in its closedposition.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated by FIG- URES 4 and 5, thejamb 31 of the doorway 32 has a rabbet 33 for the generally indicatedmetal frame 34. The metal frame 34 is of Z-shaped section and has anexternal trim flange 35, a parallel, oppositely disposed, inner flange36, and an intermediate portion 37 which anchored in place as by aplurality of spaced screws, not shown, with part of the inner flange 36within the rabbet 33 and securely retaining the anchor 38. A pocket 39in the jamb receives the extremity of the cable 40 that is attached tothe anchor 38.

The generally indicated door 41, like the door 16, has a hollow sidemember 42 provided with hinges 43, a side member 44 provided with thelatch 45, a top member 46, and a bottom member 47. These are hollow andjoined by corner gussets such as the gussets 48 joining the top member46 and the latch side member 44.

The door 41 has a grommet 49 in the rear face of the upper corner of thelatch side, the grommet 49 registering with the pocket 39 when the door41 is closed. The cable 40 passes downwardly through the grommet 49 andthrough vertically alined holes in the corner gusset 48 into the sidemember 44 when it is attached to a weight 50 vertically slidable thereinand by which the cable 40 is pulled in as the door 41 closes. The cable40 also passes axially through a coiled spring 51 backed by the cornergusset 48 thereby to provide a resilient stop as the door approaches itswide-open position as determined by the length of cable 40 within theside member 44 when the door 41 is closed.

It will be noted that, in the embodiments of the invention thus fardescribed, the wide-open positions of the doors have been established bythe lengths of the cables that are within the latch sides thereof. Wherethe location of the latch, the latch 52 of the generally indicated door53 for example, is such that an insuflicient length of cable may bereceived within the hollow latch side member 54 to provide a desired,Wide-open position, the embodiment of the invention illustrated byFIGURES 6-8 is used.

With reference to FIGURES 6-8, the doorway 55 has a generally indicatedmetal frame 56 which is also of Z-shaped cross section providing anexternal trim flange 57, an oppositely disposed, parallel, inner flange58 channeled to receive insulation 59, and an intermediate portion 60secured to the jamb 61 at a plurality of spaced zones as by screws, notshown.

The door 53 has, in addition to the hollow latch side member 54, ahollow side member 62 provided with hinges 63 and hollow top and bottommembers 64 and 65,, respectively. The appropriate ends of appropriatedoor members are joined to provide door corners as by corner gussets 66.

In this embodiment of the invention, the upper surface of the top member64 is provided at the upper corner of the latch side with a controldepression 67 in which a grommet 68 is located, the depression openinginwardly of the door and being of a depth to accommodate the cable 69 asthe door swings into and out of its closed position and being located sothat the grommet 68 underlies the pocket 70 in the jamb 61 for theflanged anchor 71 to which one end of the cable 69 is attached and whichis securely held by the top part ofthe frame 56 which is apertured toreceive that cable end.

The cable 69 extends through the grommet 68-and through a hub in thegusset 66 of that corner and thence lengthwise of the top member 64. Thegusset 66 at the top of the hinge side of the door is provided with apulley 72 about which the cable 69 is trained and has end openingspermitting the cable to extend downwardly into the hinge side member 62where it is connected with a weight 73 slidable therein. The cable 69also extends through a coiled spring 74 backed by the proxi mate end ofthe proximate gusset 66 thereby to provide a resilient stop when thewide open portion of'the door is reached as determined by the length ofcable within the door members 62 and 64 when the door is closed.

Where grommets are used, they may be of any type ensuring the freetravel of the cable and those of nylon are satisfactory. Other antifriction means may be used. The weights can be used to pull the doorclosed or simply to pull the cable into the doors as they close and theyare preferably a free but close fit in the side members and are providedwith a cushiong coat or the equivalent to sure quiet dooroperation, g V,

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that safety stops areprovided that protect metal storm doors even if slammed into theirwide-open positions by winds of high velocity. The protection is dueboth to the resilient stop effect, to the fact that it is applied at thelatch side, and to the fact that the metal door frame affords anexcellent anchoring means. These results are attained without detractingfrom the appearance of the doors or interference with their use. I

I claim:

1. In combination, a door frame, and a metal storm door hingedly mounted.wi'thin said frame of the type having hollow top, hinge and latchsides, and with said latch side being blocked by a latch, a weightvertically slidable in one of said sides, said door having an opening inthe form of an anti-friction grommet adjacent the upper corner of thelatch side thereof, a flexible member extending through said opening andconnected to said weight, the free end of the flexible member beingattached to the top of the frame for the door adjacent the latch side ofthe door when the door is closed, and a resilient bumper secured withinsaid one side adjacent the upper end thereof and engageable by saidweight for resiliently limiting movement of said door as it approachesits wide-open position, said position being determined by the length ofsaid flexible member within said door when said door is in its closedposition.

2. The door of claim 1 in which the opening is in the inner face of thedoor.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which the frame includes a metal framesecured to a supporting jamb, the top of the jamb having a pocket behindan opening in the metal frame both located to register with the openingin the door when the door is closed, and the flexible member extendingthrough the opening in the metal frame and secured to an anchor in thepocket, the anchor being flanged, and in engagement with the metalframe.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 617,159 1/1899Hogan et al 26869 X 3,143,773 8/ 1964 Glenn 20-19 FOREIGN PATENTS412,395 6/1934 Great Britain.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

REINALDO P. MACHADO, Examiner. K; DOWNEY, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION, A DOOR FRAME, AND A METAL STORM DOOR HINGEDLY MOUNTEDWITHIN SAID FRAME OF THE TYPE HAVING HOLLOW TOP, HINGE AND LATCH SIDES,AND WITH SAID LATCH SIDE BEING BLOCKED BY A LATCH, A WEIGHT VERTICALLYSLIDABLE IN ONE OF SAID SIDES, SAID DOOR HAVING AN OPENING IN THE FORMOF AN ANTI-FRICTION GROMMET ADJACENT THE UPPER CORNER OF THE LATCH SIDETHEREOF, A FLEXIBLE MEMBER EXTENDING THROUGH SAID OPENING AND CONNECTEDTO SAID WEIGHT, THE FREE END OF THE FLEXIBLE MEMBER BEING ATTACHED TOTHE TOP OF THE FRAME FOR THE DOOR